Easter

My Easter feast literally consisted of jelly beans, cashews (which were sent to me by my parents) ,and a bottle of water. We don't get fed that much, and while any other day of the week is fine, on Sundays it's kind of a struggle #diadereposo. It wasn't my typical easter, wasn't my favorite easter, but it will probably be my most memorable. 

   Easter Sunday where to begin!? We carpooled with E. and Hna Ventura (our sweet senior missionaries) to church. We had a total of 7 miles left for the month and so we were on foot yesterday in the pouring rain. A member family honked at us and waved, and smiled, but still just drove on. We were hungry, we were tired, soaking wet, but I was still humming church hymns, and thinking, "Isn't this great! Only on the mission could something like this happen."  We also were creepily honked at by older men in mini vans and trucks, and our appointments all fell through. A missionary experience I had read from Elder Holland's life came to mind about his cold, wet, lonely, Christmas in England and thought, "aha! So this is what that feels like." I wasn't miserable yesterday, it was actually quite humorous, and although there was no grand feast, or no incredible Other Side of Heaven like miracle, I was happy. I survived Easter in Houston, TX!

   As a mission, we've been reading the Book of Mormon together, a little slower paced (President Crawford has us reading only 2 pages a day). Yesterday's reading of the Book of Mormon was just so appropriate for Easter, we read parts of Mosiah 14 and 15. Mosiah 14 contains the Isaiah 53 chapter and verse 5 summarized for me so beautifully what Easter is all about.

   "But he was wounded for our trangressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

   I thought that was so beautiful! So poetic.The chastisement of our peace. If anything reading the Book of Mormon at a slower pace has helped me to see what a beautiful piece of literature the Book of Mormon (& the bible, seeing as this verse is technically from Isaiah) really is. 

   There is beauty all around. Houston is not the prettiest city, there is so much wickedness here, and yet on my walk in the pouring rain yesterday I was still able to find little tidbits of the beauty that our Heavenly Father created for us.

quickmissionNEWS:

1. Finally taught a lesson to Carlos the miracle man from two weeks ago. It went well, he was kind of in a hurry to talk about Joseph Smith, the lamanites, and the Nephites, but we had to help him back track and see that he first had to understand the bigger picture.

2. Ricky. We had a lesson with him yesterday! A lesson with a young woman from our ward. This young woman was a rockstar! Her testimony is so solid, and I almost thought that she was my companion for a split second.

Te amo times a millz.

Hna Flores